2015 Girls Cross Country Capsule Previews
ARBOR VIEW
League: Division I Northwest
Head coach: Sheina Torres, first season
Returning letter winners: Six
Top athletes: Nicole Snow, Ana Flaherty, Mystique Delgadillo
Outlook: The Aggies have had one of the stronger programs in Southern Nevada in recent years, and Torres hopes to keep them among the Sunset Region’s best.
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BONANZA
League: Division I Northwest
Head coach: Bruce Eubank, eighth season
Top athletes: Esmerelda Hinojos (Sr.), Alexsis Chavez (Sr.), Antonia Chavez (Sr.)
Outlook: Hinojos qualified for the state meet last year, and Alexsis Chavez and Antonia Chavez both are starting their fourth year on the varsity squad.
“We are a small team,” Eubank said. “Our kids look forward to the competition this season. They work hard and have a great sense of team.”
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BOULDER CITY
League: Division I-A Sunrise
Head coach: Canaan Petersen, fifth season
Returning letter winners: Five
Top athletes: Sierra Selinger (So.), Camille Torgeson (So.), Emma Torgeson (Sr.)
Outlook: The defending Division I-A Southern Region champions return five letter winners.
Selinger finished third in the region meet last year, with Camille Torgeson taking eighth and Emma Torgeson placing 13th.
“The girls have a strong team with the ones from last year coming back in addition to a couple of new girls from other sports and a foreign exchange student from Germany,” Petersen said. “They hope to repeat as region champs as well as complete the regular mid-week league competition unscathed for a second year in a row.”
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CENTENNIAL
League: Division I Northwest
Head coach: Roy Session, fifth season
Returning letter winners: Fifteen
Top athletes: Alexis Gourrier (So.), Kayla Roberts (Jr.), Addie Hall (Sr.), Delani Dietrich (So.), Karina Haymore (Jr.), Julia Weaver (Jr.)
Outlook: Really, really good. Possibly even scary good.
On the Bulldogs’ roster are last year’s Sunset Region champion (Gourrier), Sunrise Region champion (Haymore) and state runner-up (Roberts). Six of the athletes who ran on last year’s state championship team are back.
Dietrich, Weaver and Hall all finished in the top 28 in the state meet.
“We look to improve as a team nationally,” Session said. “The ultimate goal, of course, is to win state, but we just want to compete well.”
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CHAPARRAL
League: Division I Sunrise
Head coach: Cynthia Ziegler, eighth season
Top athletes: Leslie Ordonez (Sr.)
Outlook: The Cowboys are hoping to show improvement throughout the season.
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CHEYENNE
League: Division I-A Sunset
Head coach: Scott Thrasher, 13th season
Returning letter winners: Four
Top athletes: Dominique Hudson (Sr.), Starr Hawkins (Jr.)
Outlook: Four letter winners return for the Desert Shields, who are hoping to improve throughout the season.
“We will be young and feature a good group new to cross country,” Thrasher said.
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CORAL ACADEMY
League: Independent
Head coach: Autumn Nourse
Top athletes: Jenna Alhaery (Fr.), Sierra Bille (Fr.), Mirian Fonkam (Sr.), Haley Gonzales (So.), Chloe Lipka (Fr.), Alyssa Ortiz (So.), Marain Part (Fr.), Ciana Sclafani (Fr.), Ashlee Wallace (Fr.), Gretchen Wulfekuhle (Fr.)
Outlook: The Falcons are starting their second season as a team and hoping to show improvement.
“The team has grown tremendously, adding 17 new runners this year,” Nourse said. “With a young and enthusiastic team, we hope to work hard each practice and be competitive among our larger-school competition.”
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CORONADO
League: Division I Southeast
Head coach: Mark Tondryk, 10th season
Top athletes: Jessica Atteberry (Sr.), Megan Denter (Sr.), Danielle Greene (Sr.), Allie Ryerson (Jr.), Tristin Sanders (Sr.)
Outlook: The Cougars had a successful regular season last year and backed it up with a third-place finish at the Sunrise Region meet. They’re hoping for more good fortune this year.
“We have most of our team back and should contend for a state berth in Reno,” Tondryk said.
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DEL SOL
League: Division I-A Sunrise
Head coach: Jennifer Powell, third season
Top athletes: Ingrid Zarate (Sr.)
Outlook: Zarate took the Southern Region by storm last year, winning the region title in just her first year in the sport. She finished 12th in the Division I-A state meet.
The Dragons return their entire team from last year.
“Our girls program will be led by returning regional champion Ingrid Zarate,” Powell said. “We also have strong leadership and experience coming from our two other seniors, Acundo Marcos and Lauren Cranor.
“We look forward to competing in weekday meets as well as invitationals throughout the season and improving with each race.”
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DESERT OASIS
League: Division I Northwest
Head coach: Jerome Streets, first season
Returning letter winners: Five
Top athletes: Lexie Fulmer (Sr.), Cynthia Garcia (Sr.)
Outlook: Fulmer (51st) and Garcia (59th) both competed in the Sunset Region last year for the Diamondbacks, who will need to make up for the loss of Brooke Locey, one of the top runners in the program’s brief history.
“The team has a core of experienced runners returning and looks to continue building a successful program,” Streets said. “The expectations are for each runner to get better every week and compete for the opportunity to be one of the Sunset Region’s representatives at the state meet in Reno.”
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DURANGO
League: Division I Southeast
Head coach: Rick Barry, first season
Returning letter winners: One
Top athletes: Ojesa Kwong (So.)
Outlook: The Trailblazers certainly will have a new look this season.
Barry inherits a team with only one letter winner returning.
“Ojesa will lead a group of girls that will do their best to compete this season,” Barry said. “We hope with hard work we can begin to build for the following seasons while still making a run at both individual and team goals.”
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ELDORADO
League: Division I Southeast
Head coach: Josh Wertheimer, ninth season
Returning letter winners: One
Top athletes: Brianna Mathre (Sr.)
Outlook: Mathre is the lone returnee for the Sundevils.
“We have been working hard and hope to continue our improvement throughout the season,” Wertheimer said.
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FAITH LUTHERAN
League: Division I-A Sunset
Head coach: Jeff Edwards, sixth season
Returning letter winners: Six
Top athletes: Kendall Larson (So.), Cameron Bracey (Jr.)
Outlook: The Crusaders return six letter winners as they look to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish in the Division I-A state meet.
Larson placed fourth in the Southern Region meet and 14th at state.
Faith Lutheran also should get a boost from Bracey, who did not run cross country last year, but qualified for the state track meet in three distance events.
“We want to continue to improve on last year’s talent and avoid costly injuries that gave us setbacks last year,” Edwards said. “We hope to return to the top in the Division I-A Southern Region and finish higher than fourth as state.”
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FOOTHILL
League: Division I Southeast
Head coach: Natalie Thomas, 16th season
Returning letter winners: Four
Top athletes: Erica Williams (Jr.), Brooke Noorda (Sr.), Aine Jones (Jr.), Kaitlin Hock (Sr.)
Outlook: The Falcons won their first Sunrise Region title since 2006 last year, but lost the region individual champion, Karina Haymore, who transferred to Centennial.
Williams finished 10th in the region meet, Noorda was 17th, and Jones took 21st, giving the Falcons three solid runners around whom to build.
Thomas also expects juniors Sydnee Farrer and Josabet Morales, sophomores Myna Buckley and Mckenzie Flynn and freshman Emily Slatoff to contend for spots in the team’s top seven.
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GREEN VALLEY
League: Division I Southeast
Head coach: Bud Beam, first season
Returning letter winners: Six
Top athletes: Amy Amezcua (Jr.), Sara Braverman (Sr.), Cassandra Palor (Sr.), Milena Palor (Sr.), Kylie Schoeffel (Sr.)
Outlook: Amezcua (third), Cassandra Palor (eighth), Milena Palor (ninth) and Schoeffel (12th) all finished in the top 12 in last year’s Sunrise Region meet, helping the Gators advance to state.
With six letter winners returning, the team is primed to again compete for a state berth.
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LAUGHLIN
League: Division III Southern
Head coach: Mitchel Mulcahy, third season
Top athletes: Carissa Wollerton (So.)
Outlook: Wollerton, a state qualifier last year returns to lead the Cougars, who narrowly missed qualifying for state as a team.
“They’re anxious to improve and make it to state this year,” Mulcahy said.
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LIBERTY
League: Division I Northeast
Head coach: Pam Schultz, fourth season
Returning letter winners: Five
Top athletes: Skyler Free (Jr.)
Outlook: Free finished second in the Sunrise Region meet and 20th in the state meet last year. She leads a group of five returnees for the Patriots.
“We’re a developing team of young runners,” Schultz said.
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THE MEADOWS
League: Division III Southern
Head coach: Charles Bernick, 12th season
Returning letter winners: Two
Top athletes: Ellen Hirsberg (So.)
Outlook: First, the good news: Hirsberg was the Division III Southern Region champion last year.
Now the not as good news: the Mustangs’ next four runners in the region meet all graduated. Still, hopes are high for a team that narrowly missed out on a winning state title.
“The Meadows girls team returns the Division III champion, Ellen Hirsberg, and will have a number of new faces join her,” Bernick said.
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PAHRUMP VALLEY
League: Division I-A Sunset
Head coach: Matthew Kolodzieczyk, third season
Returning letter winners: Three
Top athletes: Fenny Descuatan (Sr.), Alicia Quiroz (Jr.), Ashley Floyd (Jr.)
Outlook: Descuatan finished 16th in the Division I-A Southern Region meet last year and is expected to lead a relatively inexperienced squad.
“The girls team is rebuilding, but they will be competitive.”
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PALO VERDE
League: Division I Southwest
Head coach: Robert Davis, 16th season
Returning letter winners: Five
Top athletes: Emma Wahlenmaier (Jr.), Kate Vanderstelt (Sr.), Kelsey Lamph (Sr.), Molly Marias (Sr.), Tori Landers (Jr.)
Outlook: Wahlenmaier (seventh), Vanderstelt (18th) and Landers (24th) all finished in the top 25 in last year’s Division I state meet for the Panthers, who have one of Southern Nevada’s top programs.
“With the core of last year’s team still in place, we look forward to trying to replicate last year’s success and possibly exceed expectations,” Davis said.
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SHADOW RIDGE
League: Division I Southwest
Head coach: Andy Flynn, third season
Returning letter winners: Six
Top athletes: Julia Pack (Sr.), Serena Garcia (So.), Kaycee Jay Castle (Jr.), Lillie Cahoon (Jr.), Aubree Nish (Sr.)
Outlook: The Mustangs return six letter winners from a team that advanced to the Division I state meet.
“Shadow Ridge has been training hard and preparing for a season that I’m sure will be impressive,” Flynn said. “We have many returning runners like Julia Pack and Serena Garcia who will continue to lead their fellow Mustangs to victory.
“Other returning runners like Lillie Cahoon have certainly stepped up their game and will be ready to improve an already impressive resume. With the rest of our team, and many new additions ready to run, I’m sure there will be many surprises this season.”
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SPRING VALLEY
League: Division I-A Sunset
Head coach: Jean Rees, fourth season
Top athletes: Cheyenne Charles (Jr.)
Outlook: The Grizzlies are hoping to improve throughout the season.
“The team is rebuilding after losing so many seniors last year,” Rees said. “With all the hard work they have put in over the summer, we should have a great season.”
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TECH
League: Division I-A Sunrise
Head coach: Cathy Meyer, second season
Returning letter winners: Six
Top athletes: Carla Gatson (Sr.), Madison Marsicano (So.), Evelyn Corona (Jr.)
Outlook: The Roadrunners return six letter winners from a squad that qualified for the state meet for the first time in the program’s history last year. Three of the team’s top four runners in the state meet are back.
“We are coming off the most successful girls season in school history,” Meyer said. “This will be another strong year for the girls, with several excellent returning runners and a competitive group of newcomers. The girls should have another good season.”
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VALLEY
League: Division I Northeast
Head coach: Leslie Samson, fourth season
Top athletes: Jeni Merritt (Sr.)
Outlook: Merritt was the team’s top runner last season and probably will be a leader on a young team.
“We have many new runners to the program,” Samson said. “Many of the runners are sophomores which shows a bright future for the program. There is quite a bit of potential and talent.”